Scotch Export Value Hits New Record High

12-02-2018

By Whizzky Staff Writer

Data from HM
Revenue and Customs revealed that Scotch exports hit a new record high of
£4.36bn, up 9% from 2016. The volume
exported also increased by 1.9%. The previous high for export value was £4.273bn in 2012.

France still
leads the world in Scotch consumption with 17m bottles exported in 2017, a 5.9%
increase from 2016. Latvia’s import of Scotch whisky hit a high of more than
74% growth. The top 10 largest export destinations for Scotch in the world defined
by volume in 2017 were:

France: 178m bottles, -5.9%

USA: 127m bottles, +7.4%

India: 89m bottles, -4.8%

Spain: 61m bottles, -4.6%

Germany: 56m bottles, +5.8%

Mexico: 53m bottles, -7.5%

South Africa: 52m bottles, +17.0%

Singapore: 47m bottles, +14.2%

Latvia: 37m bottles, +74.9%

Brazil: 36m bottles, -15.4%

Karen Betts, CEO of the Scotch Whisky
Association (SWA) said "These encouraging figures show how popular Scotch whisky
is right around the world”. She mentioned that this is a result weaker pound.

Casks with Maturing Whisky at Tomatin Distillery

In terms of value, Taiwan showed a decrease in Scotch exports with £160m, down by -8.3% from 2016. All other major export markets
showed growth including the US, France, Singapore, Germany and Spain. Exports
to Latvia more than doubled in 2017 with 105% increase. The top 10 largest
export destinations for Scotch in the world defined by value in 2017 were:

US: £922m, +7.7%

France: £433m, +2.1%

Singapore: £291m, +29.4%

Germany: £184m, +13.5%

Spain: £175m, +5.2%

Taiwan: £160m, -8.3%

UAE: £130m, -1.2%

Latvia: £120m, +105%

South Africa: £114m, +20.7%

Mexico: £111m, -0.4%

The world’s interest in Scotch
and single maltsis evident particlualry with distillery expansions such as Glenmorangie adding a new still house that will allow them to increase capacity to meet increasing global demand. Scotch Whisky is also sold in around 200 markets worldwide, accounting for over 20% of all UK food and drinks exports.